INDIANAPOLIS — It’s common for NFL teams to try to disguise their off-season plans in the buildup to free agency and the draft, but even Jim Caldwell can’t hide the fact that the Detroit Lions need receivers.

Caldwell, the first-year Lions coach, said at the NFL combine today that his team will take “a real strong look at” receivers this off-season, in an effort to finally find a reliable deep threat to pair with Calvin Johnson.

“He’s one that’s going to draw a little extra attention, in terms of double coverage, like he’s always done,” Caldwell said. “And with that being the case, we have to find a way to make certain whoever’s on the other side that may be getting singled in some situations can do some damage against the defenders.

“I think that’s extremely important, so I think that’s something that, obviously, we’ve taken a good, hard look at and, one way or another, we’re going to come up with a guy that’s going to give us some balance in that area.”

Aside from Johnson, the Lions don’t have a receiver under contract who reached double digits in receptions last year.

Kris Durham is an exclusive-rights free agent and almost certainly will be back, but Kevin Ogletree is an unrestricted free agent with a blurry future in Detroit, and the Lions released Nate Burleson in a cost-cutting move last week.

Both the draft and free agency are brimming with receiver options this year, and the Lions almost certainly will add to the position in both stages of the off-season.

With the 10th pick in the draft, they could consider the likes of Clemson’s Sammy Watkins, Texas A&M’s Mike Evans and USC’s Marqise Lee.

Offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi said at his introductory news conference this month that an ideal complement to Johnson would be “someone to work underneath,” and that need appears more acute since Burleson’s release.

The Lions saved about $9 million in cap space by cutting Burleson and safety Louis Delmas, and Caldwell indicated that it was difficult to see both veterans go.

“Obviously, those are two good men,” he said. “When you look at those two guys, just in terms of the leadership and those kinds of things, I could tell in the preparation to play them and then also just talking to the guys on the team that understand and realize the great contribution that they’ve made to the team overall.

“But we have to take a look at everything. Have to evaluate everything. Obviously, just in terms of our personnel office, our coaching, etc., and see where things fit, and we have to make some adjustments along the way. Not all of them are going to be pretty, and so obviously, that’s kind of where we are today.”

Delmas, who has a history of knee problems and practiced sparingly last year, reportedly visited the Pittsburgh Steelers after his release but still could return to the Lions.

“I think in this business you never say never,” Caldwell said. “But we’ll see what happens.”

■ ANSAH SURGERY: Lions defensive end Ziggy Ansah underwent shoulder surgery earlier this month but is expected to be ready for the season, according to Fox Sports. Ansah had a team-leading eight sacks last year, most among rookies.

Ansah was listed on the Lions’ end-of-week injury report just once last season with a shoulder injury, when he was questionable but played in a game against the Baltimore Ravens.

Eight months after they signed Matthew Stafford to a $53-million extension, the Detroit Lions are about to open up their checkbook for their quarterback again.

Stafford received a $27.5-million signing bonus when he inked his contract last July but agreed to defer $17.5 million of the payment. The balance is due Friday.

The bonus already has been accounted for on the Lions’ salary cap, and deferred payments are not uncommon for big contracts in the NFL.

All three of the major free agents the Lions signed last year had deferred signing-bonus payments.

Glover Quin is due $3.25 million of his $5.25-million bonus March 1, Reggie Bush is due $1.5 million of his $4-million bonus March 31, and Jason Jones is due $500,000 of his $2.5-million bonus the same day.

Stafford has two more guaranteed seasons left on his contract before his salary cap number spikes to $22.5 million in 2016.

The No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 draft, he finished third in the league in passing last year with 4,650 yards but saw a decline in his completion percentage (58.5%) and a rise in his interceptions (19) for the second straight year.

The Lions have been intent on getting Stafford more help this year. They hired a new head coach (Jim Caldwell) and offensive coordinator (Joe Lombardi) with experience working with two of the league’s top quarterbacks (Peyton Manning and Drew Brees, respectively) and are expected to add two starting-caliber receivers this off-season either through free agency, the draft or both.

_________________Jim Caldwell, on whether Jim Harbaugh is stealing his thunder: "Me? I don't have any thunder."

March 3rd, 2014, 3:47 pm

Pablo

RIP Killer

Joined: August 6th, 2004, 9:21 amPosts: 9596Location: Dallas

Re: Killer's Korner

MLive wrote:

Detroit Lions are all-in for 2014, 'there is no 5-year plan'

DETROIT -- The Detroit Lions have had a busy offseason, from firing Jim Schwartz to hiring Jim Caldwell and signing Golden Tate. And all those moves have been made with a single goal in mind.

Win now.

Not in 2015. Not in 2016. Right now.

There will be no learning curve, and there will be no transition period. It's going to be playoffs or bust in Caldwell's first season in Detroit.

"It's a year of let's go right now," Lewand said Monday night while appearing with WDIV's Bernie Smilovitz in the TAP restaurant at the MGM casino in Detroit. "You heard Jim say it during his introductory press conference, we hear it from our players.

"There's no five-year plans here."

The Lions are at the crossroads as an organization. They can return all but two starters next year if they wish -- Louis Delmas (Miami) and Willie Young (Chicago) are the only ones gone so far -- and have stars Calvin Johnson, Ndamukong Suh and Matthew Stafford locked up for at least another year.

Johnson still is in his prime and coming off the best three-year stretch of any receiver in NFL history. Suh remains one of the most disruptive defensive players in the game. Stafford is coming off a down season, but the club is optimistic the gifted 26-year-old will rebound under the tutelage of Caldwell and offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi.

But there's also no telling how much longer that trio will remain a fixture. Johnson battled knee pain throughout last season and is starting to show some wear after all those years of high usage. Suh can opt out of his deal after next year.

Detroit's window for playoff success could be a tight one, especially if Johnson starts to decline now that he is 28 years old (and will turn 29 early next season). So the Lions hired a proven NFL head coach in Caldwell, who has been to three Super Bowls, and are pushing their chips into the middle for 2014.

Lewand even invoked the 'S'-word -- Super Bowl.

"I think part of it is where we are as a football team, where our players are in the careers, the type of head coach we brought in," he said. "You know, we didn't bring in a head coach this time who is becoming a head coach for the first time. There's no adjustment period for him in terms of being a head coach. There's no adjustment period for him for the expectations that he has for his staff and how to build a staff.

"He knows what he's looking for. He's been to the Super Bowl as a head coach. He's been to the Super Bowl twice as a top assistant. So he knows what he's looking for, he knows what it takes to build a good football team, and he wants to do it right now."

The Lions are talking the talk, but some fans haven't bought in. Decades of failure and letdown have a way of jading even the most ardent supporters.

Lewand got a dose of that Monday night. Speaking to a modest crowd at the MGM, a fan known around the TAP restaurant as "Big Steve" peppered Lewand about the team's offseason plan.

When Lewand said that Stafford, Johnson and Suh were living up to their lofty deals, Big Steve appeared to choke loudly on his food, though it could have been for effect.

"I see we have a dissenter," Lewand said, drawing some laughs from the crowd.

Big Steve later got the mic during a question-and-answer segment. He asked Lewand pointedly why the Lions continue to add offensive pieces when teams like Seattle are winning with defense, and why they are standing behind a quarterback who has never won a playoff game.

Lewand diffused the potentially awkward situation gracefully, and pointed out that Detroit drafted defensive end Ezekiel Ansah with the fifth overall pick in last year's draft. Ansah finished 2013 with eight sacks, a league high among rookies.

In fact, the Lions have drafted defensive players in the first round of three of the past four drafts. Each of those players -- Suh, Ansah and Nick Fairley -- is expected to start next season.

What's clear is this: The public is clamoring for a winner in Detroit, and Lewand expects to deliver one.

"You can say we're a hockey town all you want," Lewand said, "but we're a football city."

The Detroit Lions are hoping to put last season behind them, a year in which immense preseason expectations gave way to the disappointment of losing six of their last seven games with the NFC North title up for grabs.

With Jim Caldwell replacing Jim Schwartz, who was fired following the 2013 season amid reports that he couldn’t keep control of the team, there’s a lot of people looking for this talented, veteran group to have a quick turnaround and get back into playoff contention in 2014.

But as Lions running back Reggie Bush recently stated, while having the new coaching regime is nice, it’s ultimately up to he and the other veterans on the team to make sure they have that success in 2014.

“It’s something that we have to be ready for and something we have to take advantage of, too,” Bush told MLive.com (article below). “Without leadership on this team, we’re not going to go far.”

If the likes of Bush, Matthew Stafford, Calvin Johnson and Ndamukong Suh don’t take full responsibility for on-field leadership, the team certainly will end up falling into the same rut it did at the end of last season.

ALLEN PARK -- When observing a Detroit Lions practice, one thing you'll never see is Jim Caldwell raising his voice. The notoriously even-keeled coach doesn't see the benefit in screaming at players after they've made a mistake.

"It doesn't take me standing out there in the middle of the field screaming and yelling, acting like it's all about me," Caldwell said. "It's about them and what they do, and we put the onus on them."

Ingraining personal responsibility is a central theme of Caldwell's coaching style. The players will all tell you they are treated like men by the coaching staff. In exchange, they are expected to consistently put forth their best effort.

"We certainly give them their marching orders how we get it done, and then we try and make certain that we also give them a little bit of autonomy," Caldwell said. "Obviously, I think most people respond pretty well to that."

Caldwell loves self-starters, something he professed during his introductory press conference with the organization back in January. The coach said he wants a roster made up of intrinsically-motivated players who are passionate about football.

In addition to seeking personal responsibility reflected throughout the roster, Caldwell also expects the veterans to shoulder a greater share of the team's leadership, according to center Dominic Raiola.

"He's stressed, and he really believes it, that the team is going to run the show," Raiola said. "He's going to be the leader in the building, and the stuff that goes on in the locker room, the stuff goes on the field, the leaders have to step up."

Caldwell views identifying potential leaders and providing them an opportunity to lead as an important part of his job.

"I think there are some times where you've got to let guys that know what they're doing, that are certainly very, very bright, understand what you're trying to get accomplished, and give them an opportunity to take on a leadership role as well," Caldwell said.

Running back Reggie Bush believes the Lions will only go as far as the veteran leadership will take them.

"It's something that we have to be ready for and something we have to take advantage of, too," Bush said. "Without leadership on this team, we're not going to go far."

Detroit Lions' Teryl Austin details a new philosophy for defense; 'a whole bunch of different tools'

So much for the Silver Crush.

Jim Schwartz’s ill-conceived nickname for the Detroit Lions’ defensive line never took hold. The idea behind the strained moniker was to give the Lions’ most dominant unit a unique brand.

Three years later, Schwartz and his goofy nickname are gone. And, it seems, so is a strict allegiance to one particular unit or identity among the defense.

“I’m not going to be married to anything,” defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said Tuesday after an organized team activity. “What we’re going to try to be married to is what’s best for our guys that week and that game. That’s what we’re going to try to do.”

Safety Glover Quin put a funny spin on Austin’s philosophy.

“I kind of feel like as a man and being married and having a house,” Quin said, “I kind of feel like a man that, you know, if you have a whole bunch of tools, you kind of walk around looking for stuff to fix because you just want to use your tools. When you don’t have a bunch of tools, you’re just kind of ‘ugh, I can get it tomorrow.’

“So going into games, having a whole bunch of different stuff, a whole bunch of different tools that we can use, we’re going to look for those opportunities to figure out which one works best and use it. And hopefully that’ll equate to more turnovers and a dominant defense.”

Whether it’s a change in philosophy or nomenclature, the new coaching regime’s turn away from a fixed identity and reliance on one group of players signals a definite shift for the defense.

Evidence of that was at last month’s draft, when the Lions selected Kyle Van Noy, a hybrid linebacker, with their first defensive pick. In three of the previous four drafts, the Lions used a first-round pick on a traditional 4-3 defensive lineman.

The question this season will be how the old will blend with the new. Defensive tackles Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley once were considered key cogs driving the engine of the defense. But unless something changes, Suh and Fairley won’t be Lions after this season.

Suh’s contract negotiations remain a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. But Fairley’s situation is more straightforward. He remains a talent who has underperformed and is trying to prove his worth after the Lions recently refused to exercise his $5.5-million, fifth-year option for 2015.

That has left Fairley in contract limbo, playing the final year of rookie contract with no guarantee of a future in Detroit. Fairley tried to play down his disappointment Tuesday, but it was clear he disagreed with the Lions’ decision not to pick up his option

“I felt like I would (earn it), yeah,” Fairley said. “I felt like things went great for me. My first year wasn’t too good, but my next two came on.

“But like I said, they didn’t pick it up, so we’ve just got to move on and get ready for this year and things are going to be good.”

Fairley was the 13th overall pick out of Auburn in 2011. But a broken foot limited his effectiveness over 10 games his rookie season. He had 5½ sacks in 13 games in 2012 and six sacks in 15 games last year. But he has not been the consistently dominant player the Lions had hoped he would be playing next to Suh.

Fairley admitted he was initially bothered by news of the Lions’ decision not to pick up his fifth-year option, which he received from general manager Martin Mayhew during a workout in Houston.

“It did because I wasn’t able to sit down and really just think over it,” he said. “I was working out when (Mayhew) first hit me, so I was like, ‘What?’ So when I was finally able to get in the car and think about it and sit on it, I was like, ‘OK, I see where we’re going with this.’ ”

Fairley has lost about 27 pounds since last season. He looked slimmer and moved well on the field Tuesday in his first OTA open to media.

“He looks good,” Austin said. “He’s lost a lot of weight. I think the key will be when he leaves here and then when he comes back in camp if he’s still in that great shape with his weight down. It’s going to be great for us.”

Part of Fairley’s success might come down to how well he adjusts to his new coaches and their system. Former defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham used to liken Fairley to a throwback player who had his peccadillos but just knew how to play football instinctively. But Austin wants Fairley to have structure.

Detroit Lions' Teryl Austin details a new philosophy for defense; 'a whole bunch of different tools'

So much for the Silver Crush.

Jim Schwartz’s ill-conceived nickname for the Detroit Lions’ defensive line never took hold. The idea behind the strained moniker was to give the Lions’ most dominant unit a unique brand.

Three years later, Schwartz and his goofy nickname are gone. And, it seems, so is a strict allegiance to one particular unit or identity among the defense.

“I’m not going to be married to anything,” defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said Tuesday after an organized team activity. “What we’re going to try to be married to is what’s best for our guys that week and that game. That’s what we’re going to try to do.”

Safety Glover Quin put a funny spin on Austin’s philosophy.

“I kind of feel like as a man and being married and having a house,” Quin said, “I kind of feel like a man that, you know, if you have a whole bunch of tools, you kind of walk around looking for stuff to fix because you just want to use your tools. When you don’t have a bunch of tools, you’re just kind of ‘ugh, I can get it tomorrow.’

“So going into games, having a whole bunch of different stuff, a whole bunch of different tools that we can use, we’re going to look for those opportunities to figure out which one works best and use it. And hopefully that’ll equate to more turnovers and a dominant defense.”

Whether it’s a change in philosophy or nomenclature, the new coaching regime’s turn away from a fixed identity and reliance on one group of players signals a definite shift for the defense.

Evidence of that was at last month’s draft, when the Lions selected Kyle Van Noy, a hybrid linebacker, with their first defensive pick. In three of the previous four drafts, the Lions used a first-round pick on a traditional 4-3 defensive lineman.

The question this season will be how the old will blend with the new. Defensive tackles Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley once were considered key cogs driving the engine of the defense. But unless something changes, Suh and Fairley won’t be Lions after this season.

Suh’s contract negotiations remain a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. But Fairley’s situation is more straightforward. He remains a talent who has underperformed and is trying to prove his worth after the Lions recently refused to exercise his $5.5-million, fifth-year option for 2015.

That has left Fairley in contract limbo, playing the final year of rookie contract with no guarantee of a future in Detroit. Fairley tried to play down his disappointment Tuesday, but it was clear he disagreed with the Lions’ decision not to pick up his option

“I felt like I would (earn it), yeah,” Fairley said. “I felt like things went great for me. My first year wasn’t too good, but my next two came on.

“But like I said, they didn’t pick it up, so we’ve just got to move on and get ready for this year and things are going to be good.”

Fairley was the 13th overall pick out of Auburn in 2011. But a broken foot limited his effectiveness over 10 games his rookie season. He had 5½ sacks in 13 games in 2012 and six sacks in 15 games last year. But he has not been the consistently dominant player the Lions had hoped he would be playing next to Suh.

Fairley admitted he was initially bothered by news of the Lions’ decision not to pick up his fifth-year option, which he received from general manager Martin Mayhew during a workout in Houston.

“It did because I wasn’t able to sit down and really just think over it,” he said. “I was working out when (Mayhew) first hit me, so I was like, ‘What?’ So when I was finally able to get in the car and think about it and sit on it, I was like, ‘OK, I see where we’re going with this.’ ”

Fairley has lost about 27 pounds since last season. He looked slimmer and moved well on the field Tuesday in his first OTA open to media.

“He looks good,” Austin said. “He’s lost a lot of weight. I think the key will be when he leaves here and then when he comes back in camp if he’s still in that great shape with his weight down. It’s going to be great for us.”

Part of Fairley’s success might come down to how well he adjusts to his new coaches and their system. Former defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham used to liken Fairley to a throwback player who had his peccadillos but just knew how to play football instinctively. But Austin wants Fairley to have structure.

I knew "symphony of destruction" was a better name and indicates more than 1 unit doing all the work.

June 4th, 2014, 4:16 pm

thelomasbrowns

Pro Bowl Player

Joined: August 24th, 2010, 9:54 pmPosts: 2482

Re: Killer's Korner

Anybody else enjoying a tall glass of kool aid like me?

_________________Jim Caldwell, on whether Jim Harbaugh is stealing his thunder: "Me? I don't have any thunder."

June 5th, 2014, 9:50 am

TheRealWags

Modmin Dude

Joined: December 31st, 2004, 9:55 amPosts: 12296

Re: Killer's Korner

thelomasbrowns wrote:

Anybody else enjoying a tall glass of kool aid like me?

NO

_________________

Quote:

Clowns to the left of me, Jokers to the right....

June 5th, 2014, 10:54 am

m2karateman

RIP Killer

Joined: October 20th, 2004, 4:16 pmPosts: 10066Location: Where ever I'm at now

Re: Killer's Korner

thelomasbrowns wrote:

Anybody else enjoying a tall glass of kool aid like me?

Not in the least...

_________________I will not put on blinders when it comes to our QBs performances.

June 5th, 2014, 1:16 pm

TheRealWags

Modmin Dude

Joined: December 31st, 2004, 9:55 amPosts: 12296

Re: Killer's Korner

ESPN wrote:

One way the Lions hope to exploit defensesJune, 5, 2014By Michael Rothstein | ESPN.comALLEN PARK, Mich. -- The pick was largely criticized at first, the Detroit Lions going with an offensive player in the first round of the NFL draft when a defensive player appeared to be the obvious need.

And to go with a tight end, a position largely not selected in the top 10 of any draft, was even a little more confusing no matter how talented Eric Ebron might end up being. Why the Lions made the pick, though, is beginning to come into focus more and more as the offseason workouts continue.

Ebron's selection all but guaranteed the Lions would be using two tight end sets as their primary offensive package this fall, even if Ebron is a large wide receiver stuck with a different positional tag. The team invested too much money in Ebron and Brandon Pettigrew during the offseason to suddenly move away from that set.

"It's a different offense so I think the role changes for everybody," Pettigrew said. "I think we're doing a lot of different stuff. We're adjusting. I think it's going to be good for us."

The reasoning behind making the shift has to do with trying to force opponents -- particularly teams in the NFC North -- into matchup issues. This is a division, after all, where secondary help was clearly needed. All three divisional opponents drafted defense in the first round of May's draft, including Chicago (Kyle Fuller) and Green Bay (Ha Ha Clinton-Dix) focusing specifically on the secondary.

Clearly those teams saw their secondaries as an area of need entering the 2014 season. Playing a two tight end set could exacerbate those problems for opponents.

"It challenges the defense because you come in with two safeties or you take a safety out and put in a nickel, which is a smaller, less physical individual," former Lions tight end Charlie Sanders said. "What do you do when you take a guy of his talent and put him out on a position where Calvin [Johnson] is and move Calvin inside. How do you counter those types of situations?"

That's what the Lions are hoping opposing defensive coordinators end up asking themselves this fall. Considering how much Detroit invested in its offense during the offseason, from Ebron and Pettigrew to Golden Tate and a new coaching staff with an offensive slant, this is their goal.

They want to create the mismatches they are hoping the combination of running backs, receivers and tight ends they have brought in will force.

"There's been a lot of two tights," Pettigrew said. "It's a tight end offense. It's not just a receiver deal. There's plenty of opportunities out there for everyone."

The Lions plan on doing that by moving essentially every piece around somewhere else in the offense. Don't be surprised if running backs line up out wide, receivers line up in the slot, outside and tight close to the line and tight ends become pieces that can be strategically moved everywhere.

The consistent movement of players to different spots on the field can make them somewhat tough to locate, but it also increases how much every player has to learn and how long that will take. Some of the offensive struggles in picking up the new offense during the offseason can be attributed to the breadth of movement and knowledge needed to run what Joe Lombardi wants.

That and the Lions are essentially moving from an offense predicated on playing with three wide receivers, a tight end and a running back to one with two tight ends.

In today's NFL, this is not always the most common thing seen by opposing defenses. According to ESPN Stats & Information, Chicago faced 339 snaps of two tight ends on the field in 2013. Green Bay saw the personnel grouping on 308 snaps and Minnesota on 278 snaps. For each of the NFC North teams, that usually equated to a third or less of the snaps the defenses faced during the season.

So if Detroit can master that, it could give the Lions an offensive advantage based on personnel and scheme as much as the talent they have accumulated on offense.

"So we basically start dictating to the defense instead of the defense dictating to us," Sanders said. "Everybody in this division is basically strong safety conscious. They have two physical, strong safeties because we're a physical division.

"Now all of a sudden you start spreading people out and putting safeties that are used to seeing everything in tight out on an island, now what?"

If defenses ask that this fall, then Detroit is probably in good shape. If not, the Lions might be asking themselves the same thing.